How Tech Mimics Life and Why We Should Care
You wanna know what’s worse than outdated technology?
Outdated beliefs.
Now, if you feel like I just threw you for a loop, gimme a minute. I can explain.
Parallels Between Life and Tech
There are incredible parallels between technology and humans and how they work. For example, we use technology on a day-to-day basis and are most familiar with how to use its features (the visible/tangible parts).
But there’s a s*ton of programming and electronic circuitry tightly enclosed in all that tech that we can’t see…and if we’re being honest, most of us don’t understand it, nor have a desire to understand. We just take for granted how it’s built and want it to work to make our lives easier or more enjoyable.
Similar to tech, most of us focus on the external parts of our lives, the aspects we can see, touch, taste, smell, and hear. The visible/tangible parts of our lives are what we focus on and do our best to control. And humans also have a s*ton of programming and circuitry tightly enclosed within us that we can’t see and often don’t understand.
Much like tech, what’s underneath the hood matters—all that programming and circuitry—matters. A LOT.
When something goes wrong with our tech devices, most of us try a reboot first. And if that doesn’t work, we may call the manufacturer for help, trade in the device for another model or an alternative product, or simply wait for a software update to be released that’s known to address the problem.
We approach human problems very similarly to that of tech.
When we lose our temper or get frustrated, we may pause and “reboot” ourselves to regulate our emotions and nervous system so we can better engage others and the situation at hand. We may call an expert or another trusted advisor within our circle for help, perhaps a doctor, a friend, our boss, our partner, a parent, clergy, etc. We may even just wait out the problem and allow it to resolve on its own. (Regardless of what we tell ourselves, not everything is urgent and not everything requires a response/action.)
Unlike tech, we can’t just abandon ourselves or others when things get challenging or don’t work the way we want. Yes, we can set boundaries or even end a relationship in the face of the challenges. But, we can’t simply end every relationship when it gets hard (hello, mamas!) or “trade in” our family, friends, colleagues for “newer models,” no matter how much we’d like to.
While all the options to address our tech and human challenges can be helpful at various times, I believe updates are the most underrated.
We’ve been using technology long enough now to know the benefits of updates. Manufacturers issue software updates in response to functional problems or security vulnerabilities. Those are what I’d call reactionary updates. A problem exists to which they become aware and they fix it. Then there are proactive updates, in which a developer releases new functionality to make a product/software more usable, entertaining, or appealing.
And all those updates are made “under the hood”…in the recesses of the product/software that we can’t see.
If we pause for just a moment to recognize how similar we are to tech, then we could start to appreciate the need and benefit of updating ourselves, just like our tech.
Why Update Ourselves
Updating ourselves means to increase our awareness of what programming is running in the recesses of our own software…our brain.
According to Tony Daloisio Ph.D., “Cognitive neuroscientists estimate that at least 90 percent of the decisions we make are unconscious.”
This is important because no matter how much we believe we have clarity of all that drives and motivates us to make decisions, we don’t…to the tune of 90%! This is why we can feel conflicted or say we want something, yet don’t actually put forth the effort to make changes we deeply desire (can someone say “New Years’ resolutions”?).
So, if 90% of our decisions are being made unconsciously, it stands to reason we benefit from understanding what’s being guarded so closely in there.
Specifically what I work on most in my life and with clients is uncovering hidden or limiting beliefs and then consciously choosing to keep them or update them to ones that are more aligned with current goals.
Beliefs are simply repeated thoughts or narratives, many of which are stored in our un/subconscious brain, flying just below our consciousness radar. And limiting beliefs are beliefs that limit us in some capacity.
From my own experience, I had consciousness of only some of my beliefs. It was only after becoming a life coach that I gained a better understanding of how complex the human brain is and just how much power my un/subconscious and overall energy wielded in my day-to-day decision making.
Some of the beliefs I uncovered in my un/subconscious included…
I must work hard to earn the right to rest.
I should always try and keep the peace.
I’m not good enough.
I must punish my child for her to learn from her mistakes.
I’m a reluctant leader.
and more.
Once I started to uncover some of the beliefs that were comfortably hiding from my consciousness/awareness, I had the choice to keep them or update them.
And you can bet I updated a lot of them! In fact, it’s an ongoing practice. Despite having a software development background, there’s no way to tell what version of myself I’m running these days. All I know is that it’s always the latest release, but may not be better than the prior. (I have no problem accepting that I’m perfectly imperfect. 🙋♀️)
As a human, I want to raise my level of consciousness so that I can not only feel empowered in this life, but feel aligned with my soul’s need for evolution and growth. And as a mom, I want to model what that looks like. To do that, I must be willing to update myself from time to time…if not on the daily.
To me, updating myself is what it means to be “selfish.” It’s the constant practice of self-reflection and self-alignment to the things and people that matter to me, not to what society tells me I should value or prioritize.
Being selfish is not just FOR my own well-being, but FOR the benefit of my entire family and all those to whom I’m connected.
If you’d like to learn more about being a “selfish mama,” download my free PDF offering 7 Tips to Increase your Consciousness.
And if you’d like more of a guided resource to help you recognize your beliefs, values, and more, consider purchasing my Self-Reflection Card Deck or contact me about taking the Energy Leadership Index assessment.
These two powerhouse resources will awaken all kinds of insights within you and deepen the connection you have with yourself, which ultimately will help you connect more deeply to everyone and everything in your life.
I’m committed to living my purpose and enjoying my life, rather than simply surviving it. I’m happy to help you do the same.
